


(wherever i am) i'll come runnin'

by thatwasanticlimactic



Series: what i did for love (zukka week 2021) [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Asexual Yue (Avatar), Autistic Zuko (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Domestic Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Gen, Hugs, Internet Friends, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sokka (Avatar) Has ADHD, Sokka (Avatar) Has Tourette's, Zukka Week 2021, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, first irl meetings, give sokka a fidget spinner 2021, it's not relevant but like i need everyone to know, jet is a good roommate and yue is a good friend, no jet slander here, not me tearing up while thinking about meeting internet friends irl, zuko and jet are roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 12:26:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30072207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwasanticlimactic/pseuds/thatwasanticlimactic
Summary: “Night, love you.”“Love you.”And he meant it with every fiber of his being. He loved Sokka in every way a person could love another. He loved his mind and his heart and his stupid smug face and all of his tics and fidgets.Clingy as it seemed, he would miss Sokka in the two days they couldn’t call. He always missed Sokka on nights they didn’t talk.[or zukka internet friend au]
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: what i did for love (zukka week 2021) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2214033
Comments: 16
Kudos: 139





	(wherever i am) i'll come runnin'

**Author's Note:**

> zukka week day three: friends to lovers
> 
> i want to start by saying this is dedicated to my internet friends in the chat 'hey it's the godspell kids' for being some of the best friends i have ever had. i also dedicate this to grace for being the irl equivalent of an internet friend:)
> 
> and a huge THANK YOU to Beep for betaing for me at *looks at clock* 2:24am-- you're the BEST
> 
> this is based on personal experience (aside from the romance department), so uh, if this isn't accurate to y'all i'm sorry nijyghfjkhgfhj. yes, i DID cry while writing this and yes my hands ARE shaking so hard i can barely type. internet friendships are just... such a magical thing.
> 
> (and also sorry if this sucks-- i wrote this in one day and last minute mnuybgthfgjyhvbj)
> 
> [title from 'you've got a friend' by Carole King]

“Hey, Zuko! You callin’ Sokka tonight?”

Zuko shrugged, turning his desk chair to face his roommate, Jet, who was lying in his lofted bed, his feet resting on the ceiling. “I mean, probably. Why?”

Jet turned his head and grinned devilishly at him. “I just wanna know if I gotta get some insults ready.”

“I hate you,” Zuko sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Sure, but you’re stuck with me. Already signed the apartment lease for next year!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now how about you shut up and let me finish this reading so I _can_ facetime Sokka tonight, hm?”

“Fine. I’m gonna take a nap,” Jet told him, and Zuko heard a _thunk_ as his roommate dropped his feet to his mattress.

“Have fun!” Zuko teased, turning back around to the play he was reading.

He was only a few pages in when he groaned, running a hand down his face. On some level, he was glad to have chosen _Sila: The Arctic Circle_ as the play he was reading for his theatre class. It was informative about the environment and Inuit culture, and he thought the concept was really interesting. The problem with it, though, is that he had chosen to read the play for Sokka, so all he could think about every time he started reading was his internet friend.

He and Sokka had been friends for three years now. It was weird, in a way. They met online via Discord when he was a senior in high school (Sokka was a year behind him), and now Zuko was a sophomore in college and Sokka was a freshman. Even though it’s only been three years, it feels like they’ve known each other forever.

It was funny how close they had grown. Proof that friendships could last despite the distance. Sokka lived in Canada and Zuko lived in New York—they were _hours_ apart, but Zuko could safely say Sokka was his best friend. They facetimed nearly every night, sometimes talking for hours. They once had a “sleepover,” staying on call for twenty-four hours (it had been Sokka’s idea, and as exhausted as Zuko knew he would be the next day, he couldn’t bring himself to say no).

Zuko shook his head in an attempt to clear it so he could continue reading. Still, though, he found his thoughts straying to Sokka with each word in Inuktitut. For a moment, he thought it might be easier to finish his homework while on a call with Sokka so he could translate for him rather than having to flip back and forth to the glossary every few pages.

As Zuko shifted his arm against his desk, he felt a familiar rubbing around his wrist—one that drew his attention away from his homework yet again. He smiled down at his arm, fingering the friendship bracelet around his wrist. It was one of his favorite possessions. It wasn't anything fancy, just five colors in a simple braid, but it made Zuko happier than nearly anything.

Sokka had mailed it to him around a year ago. He said that the colors represented their friendship; the blue and silver for him and the maroon and gold for Zuko (their favorite colors). The purple was supposed to be both of them, a mix of red and blue.

Even though it’s been almost a year since Zuko opened the envelope, Jet still teases him about how much he cried when he first put it on. He hasn't taken it off since.

As he gazed fondly at his bracelet, he caught sight of _Sila,_ and he groaned again.

It was times like these when he realized that _everything_ reminded him of Sokka. Granted, it probably didn’t help that he had a picture of Sokka graduating and a screenshot of Sokka laughing during facetime hanging on his wall directly in front of him, but his point still stands.

Anytime he sees something beautiful, something funny, something _good,_ he thinks of Sokka. Thinking about Sokka comes as naturally as breathing to him, it’s just something he does. He thinks of him when he sees stress balls in stores, he thinks of him when he sees the stars at night, he thinks of him when he works out—heck, he even thinks of him when he has to give presentations for class, since he always practices with Sokka the night before.

Anything and everything could be related to Sokka in Zuko’s mind, and he didn’t have a problem with that. Sure, part of it stemmed from the fact that Zuko definitely had feelings for Sokka—romantic feelings—but it’s not like he could _do_ anything about them. The distance made it difficult to even consider pursuing a relationship (though it didn’t stop him from dreaming about it)—but Sokka was, objectively, the most beautiful person in the entire world; Zuko didn’t stand a chance.

Above all, though, Sokka was Zuko’s best friend and he wouldn’t trade that for the world. It’s normal to think about your best friend almost every second of every day, right?

“No, stop it. Stop thinking about Sokka for five seconds so you can finish your homework,” he muttered to himself, glaring furiously at the words on the page. It wasn’t even a long play; it was an easy read, and he was enjoying the story thus far.

He just enjoyed Sokka’s company (albeit online) more.

He managed to get three-quarters of the way through the play when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Zuko intended to ignore it, except it vibrated a second time. And a third. And a fourth. Eight times total.

Grateful for a short break, he placed a notecard in the play to keep his spot before closing it and pulling his phone out. His heart skipped a beat or two when he saw Sokka’s name filling the screen.

 **sokka (penguin) the idiot:** hey

 **sokka (penguin) the idiot:** hey

 **sokka (penguin) the idiot:** hey

 **sokka (penguin) the idiot:** hey jerk

 **sokka (penguin) the idiot:** i know u aren’t in class rn

 **sokka (penguin) the idiot:** sunshine, light of my life

 **sokka (penguin) the idiot:** zuKO

 **sokka (penguin) the idiot:** ahhhhhhjuytfhjklhgfdghjkihugyftgcghj

Zuko bit his lip to keep from laughing too loudly and waking Jet.

**zuko (sunshine) the jerk:** what do you want

**sokka (penguin) the idiot:** hE ANSWERS

**zuko (sunshine) the jerk:** i answered almost immediately, idiot

**sokka (penguin) the idiot:** whatever

 **sokka (penguin) the idiot:** so

 **sokka (penguin) the idiot:** i miss ur face

**zuko (sunshine) the jerk:** we called yesterday

**sokka (penguin) the idiot:** yes sokka, i miss ur face too

 **sokka (penguin) the idiot:** can we call tonight

**zuko (sunshine) the jerk:** duh

**sokka (penguin) the idiot:** ok good

 **sokka (penguin) the idiot:** what time works for u

**zuko (sunshine) the jerk:** uhhh

 **zuko (sunshine) the jerk:** i should be done in two hours?

**sokka (penguin) the idiot:** ok:D

**zuko (sunshine) the jerk:** don’t forget to do your homework

**sokka (penguin) the idiot:** pfft when have i ever forgotten to do my homework

**zuko (sunshine) the jerk:**

**sokka (penguin) the idiot:** yeah yeah ik stop glaring at me i’m almost done

**zuko (sunshine) the jerk:** okay. see you in a couple of hours

**sokka (penguin) the idiot:** ok love u<3

**zuko (sunshine) the jerk:** <3

Zuko turned his phone off and put it back in his pocket. If he wanted to be able to talk to Sokka as much as possible tonight, he would need to finish reading the play and then write an analysis. Shouldn’t be too hard.

Besides, knowing he was talking to Sokka in a couple of hours was always the best motivator when it came to finishing his schoolwork.

* * *

The two hours dragged on as if they knew how excited Zuko was to talk with Sokka.

He noticed a year or two ago that he never got tired of talking to Sokka. They could be on a call for six hours, go to bed, and he would still wake up and want to talk to him. He’d never had a relationship like that before—not with Jet, not with his sister, not even with his uncle.

About a half hour before they were planning to call, Jet woke up and left to get dinner, suggesting that he do the same. Zuko didn’t have the patience nor willpower to walk all the way to a dining hall, though, so he made some ramen in the dorm kitchen and ate it quickly. And sure, maybe he should have gone to the dining hall since he didn’t have a big lunch that day. He knew Sokka would certainly disapprove of the fact that ramen was all he ate for dinner, but he wasn’t that hungry anyways. What Sokka didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Once the two hours were finally up, Zuko opened his laptop and clicked on Sokka’s contact. There was no reason to text him before he called—Sokka was always on time—so he pressed the facetime button by his name.

Sokka answered immediately.

“Zuko!” he squealed, his smiling face filling his entire screen. “I missed you!”

“We were on a call for like three hours last night,” snorted Zuko, but he couldn’t keep his grin contained either.

“Yeah, and then we had to hang up and I spent the entirety of today missing your voice.” At that, Sokka’s grin turned into a playful pout. “How’s your day been? Finish your homework?”

Zuko watched as Sokka attempted to prop his phone up somewhere on his desk, giggling when the screen suddenly turned black as it fell down. This was a normal occurrence, a struggle he never got tired of watching.

“Shut up,” Sokka groaned, his face really close to the camera as he attempted to meticulously set it up. His tongue was sticking out as he did so, something Zuko noticed he did when concentrating. It was really cute. “Okay,” he muttered, backing away from the camera and holding his hands out in anticipation.

It didn’t fall this time.

“So, anyways,” Zuko chuckled, leaning back in his chair, “my day was fine. Mostly a study day. Oh! That reminds me! I finished _Sila!”_

Sokka perked up, his head jerking to the side a couple of times in one of his more present tics. Zuko saw one of his hands leave the screen and come back holding his rubix cube. “Oh! Did you like it?”

“Yeah! It was really good, I think you’d like it too!” he replied cheekily knowing full well Sokka wasn’t a huge reader (for fun at least—give him a scientific essay and he would read it so fast).

Sokka rolled his eyes. “Uh huh. I’d probably like it more if you read it to me.”

“I’m not opposed to that.”

“Really? Well, if you ever need to practice for your acting class—”

Sokka was cut off as Jet reentered the room. “Ay, is that your boyfriend?” he called, locking the door behind him and peering over Zuko’s shoulder. “It is!”

“Jet! Sokka is not my boyfriend!” Zuko squawked, ducking his head as he felt the inevitable blush begin to creep around the back of his neck.

Sokka made a sound that resembled squeaking, which could have been directed at the comment but also could very well be one of his tics. Sometimes Zuko couldn’t tell, but it didn’t matter because he loved hearing Sokka’s little sounds. They were so authentically Sokka.

“Hey, eyebrows!” Sokka said to Jet, sticking his tongue out at the older boy.

“No, red heart,” was Jet’s response, followed closely by shoving his middle finger as close to the screen as he could get.

Zuko didn’t really get it, but Sokka was pretending to be offended so he assumed it was some internet phrase that he didn’t care to keep up with.

“Lame!” heckled Sokka. “2/10, bad insult. Do better.”

Jet rolled his eyes, withdrawing his hand and stuffing it in his pocket. “Like you can do any better, idiot.”

“Stuff it!” Sokka shouted as Jet walked back to his half of the room.

“You two will be the death of me,” grumbled Zuko, shaking his head. “What did I do to deserve this?”

“Everything,” suggested Sokka helpfully, beaming as he twisted a row on his rubik's cube and managed to make one side all yellow.

Zuko felt a little bit of serotonin rush through body at the mere sight of Sokka’s excited smile. He swallowed that feeling down. “Uh huh. Everything,” he deadpanned.

Sokka just nodded, his gaze fixated on the cube in his hands. Zuko didn’t mind, he knew Sokka was paying attention. In fact, he always had a harder time paying attention when he _wasn’t_ fidgeting with something. Besides, neither of them particularly liked eye contact anyways—it made Sokka anxious and Zuko feel intimidated.

“Oh!” Sokka cried all of a sudden, almost flinging his rubik's cube in the air as he jerked his arms. “You’ll never believe what those guys on the floor did today.”

“Oh boy. What’d they do this time?” asked Zuko, raising a brow.

Sokka went off on a ramble about how these two guys who lived two rooms down from him left their trash outside of their room for a good two hours (and Sokka clarified that he had counted).

Zuko rested his chin in his hands while he listened. He always liked the sound of Sokka’s voice. He could probably listen to him talk all day long, even if it was about the aggravating guys.

“They’re in college! Who do they think is going to clean up after them!” Sokka finished, rolling his eyes. He had managed to match all the sides of the rubik's cube while he was ranting and was now twisting it around in order to scramble it.

“Wow,” said Zuko. “That’s ridiculous.”

“I know, right? I feel so bad for the custodians who have to put up with their crap.” Sokka wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Whatever. Let’s talk about something that doesn’t make my blood boil. You have any plans this weekend?”

Zuko blinked. “You do realize I have no life, right?”

“Can confirm!” Jet called from his bed.

“Oh, like you have a life,” Zuko shot back.

Jet just flashed his middle finger at him.

“Anyways, before we were so rudely interrupted,” continued Zuko, pointedly glancing at his roommate, “you know I have no plans. Why? Wanna play Minecraft or something?”

“You know I’m always down to play Minecraft,” Sokka remarked, “but I don’t think I’ll be able to call tomorrow or Friday because I’ve got a paper to write and two tests to study for.” Sokka fluttered his lips dejectedly. “I mean, I’d so much rather talk to you, but I really gotta do well on them. Anyways, I just want to soak up as much Zuko time this weekend as I can to make up for the next two days. Besides, I know you’re usually pretty busy on Mondays and I don’t wanna stress you out.”

“Aw, how sweet. I _suppose_ I can go two days without seeing you,” Zuko said sarcastically.

“I know, that just means you have to spend more time with Jet.”

Zuko nearly spit at the comment, it made him laugh so hard. Sokka was always able to make him laugh, and Zuko had a very dry and specific sense of humor. It seemed that no matter what joke Sokka made, Zuko was able to find something funny in it. Just another thing that made Sokka so special.

“Hey, I’d rather spend time with Jet than with Hahn,” he teased, relishing in the squawk of indignation he received from Sokka. Zuko always liked making jokes about Hahn, Sokka’s roommate at the beginning of the semester. They did not get along at all, and it was so funny to watch. One day while they had been on call, Hahn and some of his friends had walked into the room and out of nowhere announced to Sokka that he was moving out. Zuko had the pleasure of virtually watching them pack all of Hahn’s stuff and hear Sokka yell “good riddance” down the hall as they left with the last of his stuff..

“Oh, don’t even get me _started_ on Hahn!” he cried, throwing his hands in the air. “I saw him on my way to a class the other day and it was so awkward! We made eye contact, Zuko. _Eye contact.”_ Sokka shuddered. 

Zuko shook his head, grinning. “Anyways, it’s fine. Study for your tests. You’re so smart I’m sure you’ll ace them.”

Sokka sheepishly rubbed his neck then spun another row on his rubik's cube. “Aw, you flatter me,” he cooed. “Oh! You had your theatre 250 class today, right? How did that go? I know you’ve been having problems with your teacher.”

So, Zuko burst into a rant about how much he disliked his theatre 250 teacher, Sokka listening intently. He sometimes forgot that they remembered such little details about each other’s lives—like their class schedule—when they were so far apart. It always made him feel so happy when Sokka remembered something about his personal life, so full of joy at the subtle reminders that he cares.

The two talked for around three more hours about whatever came to mind. It didn’t matter how often they called, they always had something to talk about. Zuko couldn’t think of a single time he had ever been bored when talking to Sokka.

They probably would have kept conversing throughout the night if it weren’t for Jet throwing a pillow at Zuko and yelling at him to go to bed.

“Fiiiiiiine,” he groaned, chucking the pillow back at his roommate, smacking him in the face. “I _should_ probably get to bed. And so should you.”

“Ugh, I suppose,” Sokka sighed dramatically.

“Good luck with your tests!”

“Why thank you. See your face on Saturday!”

Zuko snorted. “See your face on Saturday.”

“Night, love you.”

“Love you.”

And he meant it with every fiber of his being. He loved Sokka in every way a person could love another. He loved his mind and his heart and his stupid smug face and all of his tics and fidgets.

Clingy as it seemed, he would miss Sokka in the two days they couldn’t call. He _always_ missed Sokka on nights they didn’t talk.

* * *

Two days came and went. He texted Sokka a couple of times, just to tell him good morning and goodnight and to wish him luck on his tests. Sokka’s responses didn’t come as quickly as usual, which wasn’t a surprise because he tended to be scatterbrained when he was stressed.

When he woke up on Saturday morning, Zuko was excited. Not talking to Sokka made him feel empty inside, and maybe that was a bit dramatic, but it was true.

He decided to get as much homework done as he could in the morning—knowing Sokka had the tendency to sleep in—so they could talk throughout the night. He sat at his desk, working on a paper due this coming Wednesday. Jet was at his desk as well, attempting to read an article.

A resounding _ding_ caught Zuko’s attention, and he turned around in time to see Jet fumble, his phone falling on the ground. Zuko snorted, causing Jet to send a glare his way as he reached down to pick up his phone. Jet grinned widely as he read the message.

“Hey, I’m going to piss!” Jet said suddenly, springing to his feet. “Be right back!” With that, his roommate practically ran out of the room.

Zuko shrugged to himself. He had been living with Jet long enough to be used to his idiocy and weird moods (and he said that affectionately), so he thought nothing of the odd behavior and went back to studying.

About ten minutes had passed when he heard the door behind him open. Smirking, Zuko turned around, fully prepared to ask Jet if he fell in, since his roommate did that to him every time he was in the bathroom more than five minutes. But when his eyes landed on the person on the threshold of the dorm room, it wasn’t Jet.

No, it wasn’t Jet. It was a different guy, so familiar yet distant that it _hurt._

Eyes a shade of brown so dark they almost appeared black, hair just as dark pulled back into a ponytail, a small and squared pair of silver wire glasses falling down his large nose, a nose that was peppered with freckles. He was wearing a black shirt that reached just above his naval with a familiar maroon-colored cardigan and a pair of denim shorts. Zuko didn’t even realize he was staring until the guy spoke.

“Hey, jerk.”

Zuko fell out of his chair, his body shaking so fiercely that he couldn’t stand. Not that it mattered— _nothing_ mattered in comparison to the fact that _Sokka_ was standing in his dorm room. _Sokka_ , who lives in Canada. _Sokka_ , whom he had never seen past a screen. _Sokka_ , who was wearing the cardigan he had sent him for his eighteenth birthday. _Sokka_ , who looked like he wasn’t sure whether he should help him up or continue to fidget with the fidget spinner in his left hand.

With a shuddering breath, Zuko pushed himself to his feet, keeping one hand on his desk to keep steady. “S-Sokka?”

Sokka nodded, tears pooling in his eyes. “I—uh—see, I wa—”

Zuko didn’t need to hear any more, he didn’t need justification at the moment. All that mattered was that Sokka was _here,_ in his room, just a couple steps away. He lunged forward, cutting Sokka off by embracing him with all his might, as if Sokka might disappear if he doesn’t hold on tight enough.

A sob escaped him as he clung to Sokka, whose arms immediately wrapped around him as well. They both had their faces pressed up against the other’s neck, and Zuko could feel Sokka’s tears on his skin. He didn’t mind—he’s always offered Sokka a shoulder to cry on, but he never thought they would literally be able to do so.

They stayed like that for a couple minutes, just holding each other. Sokka was running a hand down his back, as if to reassure himself that Zuko was real. It was the most comforting touch he had ever received.

Eventually, Sokka pulled away, if only to let his neck twitch a couple of times. They didn’t pull apart completely, though, their hands meeting and fingers intertwining. It felt so natural, so normal, even though they had never been able to do that before.

“Surprise!” Sokka said belatedly, using his free hand to wipe at his eyes.

“I can’t… you’re really _here!_ Like, here-here!” Zuko replied, rubbing his thumb along Sokka’s knuckles. “I can’t believe— _how?_ How did you get here?”

Sokka chuckled. “You know my friend Yue? Her dad had this business trip in New York, and she knows you live here because I talk about you, like, all the time. So, she asked her dad if we could come with him. We’ll be here until Tuesday!” Sokka was practically glowing, rocking back and forth on his heels. “I still can’t believe he said yes.”

“I still can’t believe you’re here!” exclaimed Zuko. “How did you even get into the building without a student—it was Jet, wasn’t it?”

“We were able to get along just this once to plan this!” Sokka explained, twirling his fidget spinner. “I’m actually really grateful for his help because I might not have been able to pull off the surprise without him.”

Something about his best friend and his roommate, sworn enemies since the moment Sokka killed Jet in among us, working together on his behalf made his heart swell with something akin to a fierce pride. “You’re…” Zuko was at a genuine loss for words. “Wow. You’re in my room.”

Sure, he may have completely blanked and stated the obvious, but the comment made Sokka burst into laughter, so it wasn’t a total embarrassment.

There was always something so special and so enticing about the way Sokka laughed. He never held back- he never cared about how loud he was. His eyes were closed and his shoulders shook. It was beautiful through a screen; it was _magical_ in person.

“I never thought I’d hear you laugh irl,” Zuko muttered.

The corner’s of his friend’s mouth twitched. “I never thought…” he trailed off, tilting his head in thought.

“I know,” Zuko said softly.

They stood there in silence, just gazing at each other. Zuko found that he couldn’t look away. His body was still trembling in exhilaration. More than anything, he wanted to close the distance between them, press his lip against Sokka’s. He didn’t though.

Eventually, Sokka blinked a couple of times, his chin twitching. He took a shaky breath before speaking again. “We should… we should go down to the lobby. Yue and Jet are waiting for us.”

Zuko nodded. “I’m just going to apologize in advance if he hit on her,” he said, shaking his hands at his side to bring his body out of this ethereal state and back to the present. “Anytime he sees a pretty person, he goes straight into flirting mode. I think it’s his way of deflecting his feelings for Haru, but you didn’t hear it from me. “

Sokka gaped at him, soaking in the new ammo he had for teasing his roommate. “Ha! Yue has a girlfriend anyways so she probably shut him down instantly.”

“Good for her,” Zuko chuckled. “Um, before we go down, is there… is there anything you wanted to do now that you’re in New York? We can drive into the city if you want or I could show you the mall, I know you love shopping.”

“I don’t care what we do as long as I get to spend the day with you,” Sokka answered quickly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Zuko’s mouth felt dry and he couldn’t contain the smile that spread across his face. “Well, that’s not helpful,” he joked.

Sokka rolled his eyes. “I just want to spend time with you. We can stay on… actually, do you maybe want to show me around campus? If you're up for it?”

“I am!” Zuko blurted out. “I mean… yeah, that’d be fun. We could go on a walk around campus and then we could get lunch, if you’re hungry.”

“Pssh, I’m _always_ hungry.”

“I noticed,” Zuko snorted. “Let me just grab my ID and save the paper I was working on, and then we can go get lunch.” He let go of Sokka’s hand (and suddenly his own hand was cold—empty) and sat down at his desk chair, gesturing for Sokka to come in. “Here, you can actually come inside, I don’t bite.”

As he turned to face his desk so he could reopen his laptop and save the paper he was writing, he felt Sokka drape his arms around his shoulders and rest his chin on top of his head. The position felt so natural, so easy and normal. As if they had done it hundreds of times before.

“Your desk is so empty,” Sokka observed as Zuko typed his password in.

“And your chin is pointy but you don’t hear me complaining,” Zuko countered, smirking.

“I am insulted!” Sokka cried, feigning hurt. “You’ve struck me so deeply—oh, wait. That’s me!” Sokka cut himself off, pointing at the two pictures of him hanging on his wall. “I didn’t know you kept these.”

“Well, duh,” Zuko replied without thought. “I have a ‘Sokka’ album in my photos.”

There was a second of silence and for one terrifying moment, Zuko thought he might have just scared Sokka away or creeped him out or something. But then he heard a quiet sniffing sound.

“I… I have a ‘Zuko’ album,” Sokka told him, his voice strained as if he were trying to hold back tears.

Zuko… he didn’t know that. It made his heart flutter and his mind mushy. His fingers froze on his keyboard. “Don’t cry, you’ll make me cry again,” was all he was able to say.

“Sorry,” Sokka replied, burying his head in Zuko’s hair. “I’m just… I’m so happy right now. It feels so unreal. Like, this is your hair! My face is in your hair! How crazy is that? And now we can take pictures together! In person!”

“I’m really happy too, idiot.”

“Jerk.”

Zuko felt his face flush, grateful that Sokka’s view was obstructed by his hair. He pressed a few more keys, saving his work and closing out of the tab. There was no reason to keep it open, not when he fully intended to spend the rest of the weekend with Sokka. “And, done!” he announced, closing his laptop and grabbing his wallet, stuffing it in his pocket. “You ready?”

Sokka extracted himself from Zuko (and oh, how Zuko missed the contact as soon as it was gone). “Your hair is so soft,” was all he said in response.

It was like Sokka _wanted_ to make Zuko combust.

While he didn’t combust, the compliment completely threw him off. “You too,” he replied, eyes widening as soon as the words left his mouth. “Not that I’ve touched your hair, it just—it _looks_ really soft, yeah. That’s what I mean.”

Sokka giggled (and Zuko’s body melted at the sound). “Well, thank you, Sunshine.”

“It’s like you _want_ me to call you ‘Penguin’ in front of Yue and Jet,” Zuko mused, walking into the hall, Sokka following closely behind him.

“Please, you don’t have the balls,” Sokka said as Zuko locked the door.

“Try me, Penguin.”

Sokka just stuck his tongue out at him and nudged his shoulder.

As they walked down the stairs, Zuko could feel himself gravitating towards his friend, almost like his body still couldn’t believe he was standing beside him. They were walking so close that their fingers were brushing against each other’s, sending sparks through his arms.

They were about halfway to the lobby when Zuko felt Sokka grab his hand, his fingers tapping against his palm, unsure. “Would it be okay if I—” he started, but Zuko had already adjusted his hand so their fingers were threaded together.

They didn’t let go when they reached the lobby and approached Jet and Yue. Their friends were sitting down on the couch, Jet listening to music and Yue on her phone.

Jet was the first to notice the duo, taking his earbuds out and nudging Yue. “See, they _say_ they aren't boyfriends, but then they go and hold hands!” he commented, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Stuff it, eyebrows!” was Sokka’s reply.

Yue shook her head. “Oh, let them hold hands,” she said. “It’s adorable.”

“See, this is why Yue is my favorite, or second favorite. No offense,” Sokka remarked.

“None taken, you’re my second favorite too.” Yue stood up, stretching her arms. “So, you’re the infamous Zuko I’ve heard so much about,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Same, Sokka talks about you all the time,” Zuko replied. “Thank you for inviting him to come with you. Seriously, thank you so much.”

“It’s no problem! As soon as my dad mentioned coming to New York, I knew I had to make it work,” Yue told him. “I know how much you mean to Sokka.”

“Yeah, he means a lot to me too.” He met Sokka’s eyes, falling deeper and deeper into his gaze. As much as he hated eye contact, he’d be willing to look into Sokka’s forever. If they were pretty through a screen, they were downright irresistible in person.

“Hey, um, Zuko and I were going to go walk around but uh, could one of you take a picture for us first?” asked Sokka, grabbing his phone out of his pocket and holding it sheepishly, his eyes never straying from Zuko’s. “I want to take as many pictures as I can, heh.”

“Oh, absolutely!” Yue said, plucking the phone from her friend’s hand and holding it at the ready. “I’ll take as many pictures as you guys want when I’m around! Now act like you like each other!”

Sokka quirked a brow at Zuko, tilting his head down. Zuko pursed his lips and then nodded. The two boys then embraced, tightly wrapping their arms around each other and grinning at the camera.

“Are you sure this is your first time meeting?” Jet spoke up from the couch. “Because I’m pretty sure you two just had a conversation without words.”

Without communicating, both Zuko and Sokka stuck their middle fingers out at Jet.

“Beautiful, you two!” Yue joked. “I definitely got a picture of that as well, don’t worry!”

“As it should be!” Sokka cackled, shoving his head in the crook of Zuko’s neck. He shivered at the feeling of Sokka’s breath against his skin.

“I got that too! You guys are so adorable,” commented Yue, turning Sokka’s phone off and poking at him until he reluctantly detached from Zuko (though, he noticed Sokka didn’t let go of his hand).

“Thank you!” he chirped, putting his phone back in his pocket. “Okay, anyways, see you guys later! Come on, Zuko! Let’s go!”

Zuko affectionately rolled his eyes, but complied. “Thanks again, you guys!” he called, waving at their friends before leading Sokka out of the dorm. “Okay, so, this is my dorm,” he informed Sokka once they were outside. “And I live here.”

“No! Really?”

“I know, it’s shocking.”

“You’re really laying the sarcasm on thick.”

For around an hour and half, Zuko and Sokka walked around campus. Zuko showed him where all of his classes were and all of his favorite places. He told him about all of the myths about the campus, like how if you walk directly under the bell tower you’ll fail out (and Sokka promptly dragged the two of them under).

Every once in awhile, Sokka would pull his phone out and take more pictures. Most of them were of the two of them, but Zuko caught him taking pictures of him when Sokka thought he wasn’t looking.

The whole thing still felt unreal, and Zuko figured that feeling probably wouldn’t leave until Sokka went back home, but he had never been happier. Sokka was clinging to his every word, asking questions about a couple of buildings.

Zuko made sure to take him inside Piandao, the science building named after one of Sokka’s favorite scientists. Zuko had only ever had one class in there (science was not his forte), and he usually didn’t give it much thought when he walked past it, but the way Sokka’s face lit up upon seeing the name Piandao on the building sign made Zuko think that maybe the building was special after all.

They spent at least a half hour wandering through Piandao, Sokka pointing excitedly at every picture of his hero they came across and spitting out random facts about him. Most of the facts went right over Zuko’s head, but he still listened as intently as he could.

Afterwards, Zuko led him to a nearby dining hall. “Don’t worry about paying for your food, I didn’t use my second meal swipe Wednesday so I have an extra one,” he told him.

“You’re too good to me,” Sokka sighed fondly in response. “I am going to pay for dinner tonight though, okay?”

“Sure, whatever you say.” Yeah, there was no way Zuko would let him pay for dinner, or any meal in fact.

They left the dining hall with sandwiches, bottles of water, and a bag of chips. Zuko suggested that they eat outside in the field behind Piandao, so the two made their way back to the science building and sat down under a tree.

Conversing in person rather than through facetime wasn’t much different. They still had the same dynamic, teasing each other and talking about whatever came to mind. It came so easily. Zuko hadn’t ever been great at talking to people, communication didn’t come easy to him. But with Sokka, everything was smooth and just felt so right.

Sokka had finished his sandwich before Zuko did (which really wasn’t that big of a surprise). He was telling Zuko all about the trip and how his first time on a plane went.

He was halfway through complaining about how crowded it was when he stopped all of a sudden, looking at Zuko with wide eyes.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” assured Sokka rather unconvincingly, clearing his throat. “No, it’s just, the sun kind of came out a bit and it’s, well, it’s—it makes you look even prettier than usual.”

Zuko’s heart stopped, he was sure of it. For a moment, he lost the ability to breathe because _Sokka just called him pretty._ “I—you… you think I’m pretty?”

Sokka bit his lip, his neck suddenly twitching multiple times in a row, his hand thrusting a peace sign in the air. “I—uh—yeah?”

And Zuko knew Sokka, he knew his habits, his little tics, and he knew them well. “Hey,” he murmured, gently grabbing Sokka’s still hand. “You’re stressing yourself out. Quit that.”

Sokka shot him an uneasy grin, gulping so forcefully it almost sounded like he was gasping for air. “I—yeah. Yeah. I just, um, you know how Jet always jokes about us being boyfriends and stuff? I don’t… I don’t mind it. I like it, I mean. Or, the thought of it, heh. Of you being my boyfriend.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. I just, I like being your friend so much and I don’t want to ruin that because I don’t know what I would do without you in my life—you’re my favorite person and you mean everything to me. I just… seeing the sun shine behind you made my heart…” Sokka paused, thought for a second, and then started making incoherent noises. “That. Yeah. It made my heart do that.”

Zuko wished he could do more than stare at Sokka.

“Yue kept trying to convince me to tell you and then when I started talking to Jet to plan this, _he_ kept bugging me about it and I wasn’t going to but, um, I just. I feel so many things right now—good things. Like happiness and love and—”

It was the word “love” that did it for him. Zuko lunged forward, cutting Sokka off by pressing his lips against his. The abruptness of the kiss elicited a muffled yelp from Sokka, but he didn’t take very long to lean into it, tangling his free hand in Zuko’s hair.

The kiss was pretty short, but Zuko didn’t mind. They pulled apart at the same time, as if they were on the same wavelength.

“Wow,” Sokka breathed.

“Wow,” Zuko agreed.

“That was good. I, uh, I take it that means you maybe perhaps kinda feel the same way?”

“You’re an idiot, Penguin,” Zuko smiled, scooting so he was sitting next to Sokka and leaning his head on his shoulder. “I _definitely absolutely positively_ feel the same way. And I have for awhile. Will the distance—”

“The distance doesn’t matter to me,” Sokka said immediately, cutting him off. “I don’t care where you are or how far apart we’ll be when I go home. I don’t think my feelings will ever change, Sunshine.”

“Good, because it doesn’t matter to me either. And, you know, I wouldn’t mind moving to _some place_ in Canada once I graduate.”

Yeah. The look of pure elation on Sokka’s face was the biggest dose of serotonin Zuko had ever received. He would do anything from any distance to make Sokka that happy.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sokka grab his phone, raising it in the air to capture the moment. Sokka tilted his head to kiss the tip of Zuko’s ear. Zuko turned his head a little bit so his grin could be seen in the picture.

He was so happy.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading this mess:)
> 
> i have a group of internet friends that's i've known since i was in seventh-eighth grade. i am now a sophomore in college and our chat still talks every day. we did a secret santa this past christmas and opened gifts together on the 25th. i spent my 20th birthday on a call with them. they are... quite literally my best friends, and i based this on them, or what it would be like to meet them (although i'm not in love with any of them lol). i have actually met two of the people in our chat, so the actual meeting part was based on those (yes, i have videos. one of my internet friends literally jumped out of the car while his mom was pulling into the library parking lot to hug me and i lost a shoe while running to hug him)
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed! i only intended to write two fics for zukka week since my anxiety was a bit high the past couple of weeks which prevented me from doing a lot of writing for fun, but i thought of this idea and i just. i needed to write it.
> 
> although this is dedicated to the 'hey it;'s the godspell kids' chat, this is also dedicated to my tumblr mutuals / internet friends:) i love y'all. thank you for inspiring me every day, for filling my feed with great content, and for taking the time to be my friend<3
> 
> my tumblr is that-was-anticlimactic if anyone wants to talk about zukka, tourette's, or even your experiences meeting internet friends:)
> 
> [thank you delfi for picking the color of sokka's shirt]


End file.
